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Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Author Interview: Krista Holle

Krista Holle, author of The Lure of Shapinsay. Read my book review here.

About The Lure of Shapinsay

Ever since Kait Swanney could remember, the old crones of the village have been warning her to stay away from the selkies. They claim that like sirens of old, the seal men creep from the inky waters, shed their skins, and entice women to their deaths beneath the North Sea. But avoiding an encounter becomes impossible when Kait is spotted at the water’s edge, moments after the murder of a half-selkie infant.

Unexpectedly, Kait is awoken by a beautiful, selkie man seeking revenge. After she declares her innocence, the intruder darts into the night, but not before inadvertently bewitching her with an overpowering lure.

Kait obsesses over a reunion deep beneath the bay and risks her own life to be reunited with her selkie. But when she lands the dangerous lover, the chaos that follows leaves Kait little time to wonder—is it love setting her on fire or has she simply been lured?

Hi Krista! Thank you for being on Bookingly Yours today. Can you please tell us something about yourself, your background, where you were born, live? Your work prior to becoming a writer. I was born and raised in Midlothian, Virginia. Midlothian is a slice of heaven on earth and I’ve recently returned. I’m married to a wonderful husband with four feisty daughters who really keep me on my toes. I work as a critical care nurse, but I dream of the day that I can write full time.When did you know that you wanted to be a writer? I’ve written my whole life but I knew I wanted to tackle my first novel after the huge success of Twilight. It occurred to me that there’s an insatiable audience of girls and women who crave not vampires but stories of true love.Is this your first "published" book? Yes, but there’s more on the horizon.Was it easy to write something that is based on a myth?I think it was easier writing a story based on a myth. Though there’s not a lot of selkie tales out there, the basic premise of what a selkie can and can’t do has already been established for thousands of years. For the selkie rookie, selkies are from Scottish folklore. They are seal men and women who spend the bulk of their lives under the sea as seals but occasionally shed their skins and emerge on land as humans. The men are notorious for luring human women to their deaths deep beneath the waves.Can you tell us something more about the selkies? In the 1800’s on the Orcadian islands, selkies were a very real part of life. Every drowning and mishap was blamed on them. There are Orcadians today who swear they are descended from these mythical creatures and even tell of ancestors with webbed hands and feet.Do you have any plans on writing another book about selkies or any other myths like mermen/mermaids? I’m keeping my options open but no more nautical tales planned at this time.Are you one of those writers who can write in a public place? No, I’m the opposite. When the family is home, I type in silencing ear muffs.Who are your favorite authors and why?I love Tracy Chevalier, Shannon Hale, and Stephanie Meyers. They are masters of escape and pulling the reader in as the main character. Did anyone not enjoy being Bella as she experienced her first kiss with Edward?What are you reading right now? I just finished Monstrous Beauty.What do you do when you are not writing and reading? I enjoy collecting seashells, eating out, walking, and working on a sundry projects around the house. I’m a do it your-selfer.About Krista HolleKrista has been writing since she was nine-years-old when she scribbled out her first adolescent work entitled Merish, the completely illogical but heartfelt story of a girl who was part mermaid, part fish. As a young mother, Krista added to her repertoire some middle grade readers and picture books she’s wary of mentioning.In 2004, Krista began an intensive four year period working part-time as a critical care nurse while homeschooling her four children. During this hectic time, courses of writing were taught and learned, and rules of syntax were scolded to memory. Ironically this period of study equipped Krista with the tools she needed to enter the next phase of her writing experience. Now equipped with the mysteries of the comma, Krista was ready to tackle a much bigger project—a full fledged novel. After the kids were enrolled in public school in 2009, it occurred to Krista that there is an insatiable audience of women and girls who want to read books filled with stories about true love. Convinced that there was an unfulfilled audience waiting for what Krista loves to write—romance, she sat down in the family’s dungeon, a.k.a. the basement, and began to furiously type. In no time, her first novel was drying on crisp white paper.Krista currently resides in Midlothian, Virginia with her husband, four daughters, and an eccentric cat with an attachment to the family’s socks. She continues to write obsessively every chance she can get.To read more about Krista Holle, check out her website and blog.